By Brian Sanders
Title race is still on and first managerial change of the season, all in match day three of the Bundesliga Round-up.
Bayern conceded their first goal in competitive play of the year, but that was the only real blip as they cantered like a horse in Olympic equestrian to a 3-1 victory over neighbors FC Ingolstadt.
Shockingly the lone goal for the visitors Ingolstadt came off a brilliant move early in the first half, a goal for Paraguayan Dario Lezcano. The answers were goals from Robert Lewandowski, a thunderous stroke from Xavi Alonso, and the icing on the cake from Rafinha. USMNT Alfredo Morales started and played 63 minutes before being subbed off.
Hetha Berlin kept pace with Bayern in winning their third from three as Schalke 04 found themselves placed at the foot of the table with a reciprocal record in a 2-0 match Sunday.
After a first half to forget, thank goodness for beer, a pair of goals eventually fell to the hosts as Mitchel Weiser and Valentin Stocker converted. For Berlin it was another win after a poor finish, compared to last season Paul Dardi seems to have his players in the right frame of mind.
In a battle of two Mexican players on both teams Bayer Leverkusen and Chicharito missed a second half penalty to fall 2-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt and Marco Fabian.
Frankfurt found themselves looking the better side again in the first half as Bayer shook off the continental cobwebs. Breakthrough was made as Fabian’s cross into the box found captain Alex Meier to be put away. Chicharito on the other end got the equalizer as his body fake caused keeper Lukas Hradecky to fall over and provide a good open target to score. Fabian ended up with the winner in his first goal for his German club, an event that has been long awaited. USMNT member Timothy Chandler was relieved when his penalty wasn’t converter after being conceding late in the second half.
Borussia Dortmund continued their high scoring run dispatching their visitors Darmstadt coolly to the tune of 6-0.
Early in the first half Gonzalo Castro scored to place the already down trodden visitors back on their heels but it was in the second half where the fireworks occurred. Opening the opposition wide a second Castro goal, USMNT Christian Pulisic, Sebastian Rode, Adrian Ramos, and debutante Emre Mor all scored, while Darmstadt midfielder Peter Niemeyer was given a second yellow card in the early stages of the second half.
In the traditional topspiel match Borussia Monchengladbach hung up four on Werder Bremen and within 24 hours of the result the first firing of the season occurred, as Viktor Skrypnyk was fired after three league one cup matches with no points to show for effort.
A pair of first half braces from both Thorgan Hazard and Raphael placed the match so far out of reach that the team was coasting. So much was the auto pilot for Borussia that a shocker Serge Gnabry wonder goal did not spoil the mood. Both Fabian Johnson and Aron Johannsson of the USMNT played with Johannsson being sent off in the 80th.
Other results in match day three: Koln blasted SC Freiburg 3-0 in a goal filled first half, RB Leipzig ran riot on HSV in a 4-0 domination, Mainz defeated Augsburg 3-1, and Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg played to a 0-0 draw.
Player of the Week: Marco Fabian, given the start against his fellow countryman he took his opportunity and got himself both a goal and an assist in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen and Chicharito.
German Phrase of the Week
Fussballgot: Football Got, term used for Eintracht captain Alex Meier
